1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to razors, and more particularly, to razors with blades mounted on disposable carriages.
2. Description of the Related Art.
The closest related art known to applicant corresponds to the following U.S. patents: Merlo (U.S. Pat. No. 2,192,362); Stokes (U.S. Pat. No. 2,479,788); Robertson (U.S. Pat. No. 3,255,523); Stradfors (U.S. Pat. No. 3,383,763); Holohan (U.S. Pat. No. 3,308,533); and German Pat. No. 188,299 issued to Crookes.
Even though these patents disclose different designs for removable blades, none of them provide a carriage for the blades. Therefore, the user has to handle the blades directly, mount them on the razor and adjust the tightness and exposure of the blade. This lends itself to lack of uniformity in going from blade to blade and time wasted. In the present invention, these problems are resolved by providing a carriage where the blade itself is mounted. The carriage locks inside the blade holder portion of a conventional straight barber razor. The blade is rigidly mounted on the carriage providing a predetermined exposure for its edge every time is mounted to the holder portion.
In Merlo, for instance, a razor blade 19 engages inside holder 10 frictionally on surfaces 16a and 18a. This direct engagement is susceptible to fatigue of the holder's side walls 14, dirt being accumulated, etc. The user is provided with notch 22 on both sides of razor blade to directly move the blade. It is obvious that in Merlo's design, the spring action of the engaging walls may weaken with use.
In Stokes, the design involving a lever 15 with a lug 17 that engages with a notched end on a blade is supposed to provide the desired solid support. However, it can be seen that even by the user's manipulation of the razor is possible to unlock this mechanism inadvertently.
Robertson's razor blade holder has bifurcated FIGS. 14 and 16 with recess 25 that holds blade 24 when beveled surface 35 engages surface 32, and also beveled surface 36 that fits in pressure contact with surface 34. Again, blade 24 is directly mounted to holder 12 by sandwiching it between fingers 14 and 16 by virtue of its flexibility or resilience. This design is also susceptible to fatigue of these flexible elements.
Still another mechanism for attaching a removable blade is disclosed in Stradfor's patent. Here, a ring 38 encircles and slides over shank 28 and blade 12 thereby secured to support member 20. The risk of injuring the user is, possible since he has to continuously slide the blade to remove it. See column 4, line 12.
Holohan's patent involves a clip mechanism that is spring loaded, and like in the previous disclosure, the user is required to use his fingers directly to insert the blade and remove it.
The German patent is similar to Stradfor's reference, wherein a ring is used to lock blade a in place. However, the user may inadvertently slide ring d and loosen blade a. Again, the user has to handle blade a directly.
Other patents describing the closest subject matter provide for a number of more or less complicated features that fail to solve the problem in an efficient and economical way. None of these patents suggest the novel features of the present invention.